Path of Rainbows
by skyranger48
Summary: Azel Winds and his Eevee find themselves caught up in the personal lives of seven different girls. Seven different endings, each with a different - you guessed it - Eeveelution. My first fanfic, rated T.
1. Prologue : Two Choices

**This is my first fanfic, one I've been thinking about for a while.  
**

**Not sure how it's going to turn out. Well, have fun reading.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Pokémon in any way.**

* * *

The sun's rays were intense. It felt like an endless Heat Wave, scorching the skin of those who got hit. Azel blocked out the sun with his left hand, allowing him to see better. The Eevee on his shoulder didn't look well either. Both were breathing uncontrollably as they walked up the road.

The gray haired boy remembered something and shot up in excitement, nearly throwing the little pokémon off balance.

"Hey, it's Tuesday today!" the boy exclaimed. "Want to go get some ice cream, Mira?"

"Eevee! Eevee!" the little one answered happily.

They rushed to the Casteliacone stand only to find a ridiculous queue lined up in front of it. The two sighed in disappointment.

"That look of distraught in your eyes... Is it because of the heat? Or because of the queue?" A girl's voice came from beside him. Azel turned and his eyes met those of a young woman, probably slightly older than him with long blue hair. She turned her head and fixed her elegant silk hat.

"My name is Cordelia Andrews. As for why I introduced myself, I have no idea. I must be bored" she spoke in a gentle yet sophisticated tone.

A Buizel was beside her, trying to look cool like it's trainer. "Ah, right. This is Richie"

"Um... My name is Azel Winds. This is my partner, Mira" Azel introduced himself, not sure what to do next.

The girl nodded. " I see. Let's talk somewhere else, shall we?"

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The two went to a park in the middle of the city. Azel found some vending machines and bought drinks.

The two sat on a bench while Mira and Richie played with the Pidoves around. The boy popped open his Soda Pop and started to drink it. Cordelia clutched her can of Lemonade. She looked to be deep in thought.

"Have you seen anyone suspicious holding a suitcase?" she asked abruptly.

"Huh?" Azel stopped drinking. "Is something the matter?"

"Well..."

At that moment, a person in a coat rushed past them, a case in his right hand. He didn't seem to be paying attention to his direction, as he almost tackled Mira and Richie.

"That's the person!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Richie!" she called for her Buizel. The pokémon jumped and quickly got into position, but before Cordelia could shout a command, a blur passed by at high-speed.

"Hanzo, Ice Shard!" came an order from behind.

The blur, revealing itself to be a Sneasel, created shards of ice and launched them at the person. The shards were amazingly fast and pierced his coat, causing him to flinch. He stumbled and dropped the case, but ran into a street and disappeared out of sight.

Azel and Cordelia looked at the black colored pokémon as a girl caught up to it. She was panting, her glossy black hair tied to a ponytail. Her outfit was a black tank and smooth training trousers. She looked to be about Azel's age.

"He got away..." the girl sighed and fell to her knees.

Azel quickly went to the girl and offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted. Cordelia, on the other hand, had directed her attention to the suitcase on the ground. Clutching it in her hands, she returned to the two. The girl went to her Sneasel.

"Nice going, Hanzo. Too bad we didn't get him" she petted the pokémon.

"Sneasel snea!" it replied.

Azel wanted to ask who she was.

"If I may ask, who are you?" Cordelia asked before he did.

"Huh? Oh, my name is..." she started, but abruptly stopped as she stared directly into Azel's eyes. She looked mesmerized as her light blue orbs glimmered in the intense sunlight. After a brief moment, she blushed, but quickly turned her head.

"M-my name is Luna. L-Luna Myst"

Her personality completely changed, Azel thought. Cordelia didn't seem to care.

"Why were you chasing that man?" Cordelia seemed interested in the shady man's actions.

"Umm, huh? Oh..."

Luna explained about a scene that happened near the Casteliacone stand. Apparently, she had lined up about fifteen minutes ago. She had reached the middle of the line when that particular shady man had tackled her in an attempt to run away somewhere. This had caused her to fall down, separating her from the line. Of course, she couldn't step back as the line was quickly filled. So, she was angry and had pursued the man who tackled her.

"Apparently, you're quite the aggressive girl, aren't you?" Cordelia laughed. Luna blushed some more.

Aggressive? Yeah right, Azel thought. But there's this nagging feeling in the back of my head... Do I know her from somewhere?

Mira nudged Azel's head, disturbing his thinking. It whined, signalling it was probably hungry. Azel nodded. He was pretty hungry himself.

"Sorry to disturb the conversation..." Azel started, getting both of the girl's attentions. " It's about lunchtime. Should we all have lunch together?"

"Actually, I have a reservation prepared at a first-class restaurant in the upper side of town"

"I-I'm not very good with fancy places..."

"Ah...Is that so? I really can't miss my reservation, so it looks like we will be parting ways"

"A-ah...I see..."

Azel sighed. Both his and Mira's stomachs rumbled at the same time. He was faced with a choice... He had never liked choices. Especially if those choices would drastically change his fate...

* * *

**Yup, that's all for the first chapter. If you haven't already guessed, this is going to be a story arc of sorts.**

**Will Azel go with the beautiful Cordelia or the seemingly shy Luna? **

**Please review**


	2. Cordelia's Mystery

**Thanks for all the reviews. I think I'll just continue with how I planned it for now and see what happens. The first arc will be Cordelia's story. This takes Azel deeper into Cordelia's world, learning some underhanded secrets along the way. Have fun reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

" I think I'll go with Cordelia..." Azel decided. Luna looked disappointed, Hanzo trying to cheer her up. Cordelia and Richie shrugged at the same time. The pair started to walk elegantly to the north side of town. Azel had said one last goodbye to Luna, and followed them. Luna waved slowly as the gray haired boy went into a street and disappeared.

The moment he was out of sight, she sighed. "Let's go to a nearby ramen store, Hanzo"

"Sneasel snea!" the Sneasel answered happily.

The two left behind walked in the opposite direction. Luna took one look back at the park, seeing nothing but wild pokémon. A tear appeared from nowhere, but she brushed it off and continued walking.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The upper side of town had a busy atmosphere to it. People, mostly businessmen and businesswomen running around like it's the apocalypse. The hustle and bustle of everyday workers can be heard from the distance. Although the sun had weakened it's onslaught, Azel felt like he was still on fire.

Must be nice for Cordelia; she's wearing a hat. Mira nodded, as if thinking of the same thing. Buizel was a Water-type too, it can stay cool in hot weather. The two sighed once again as the girl stopped in front of a fancy white buliding.

Beautiful red poppies decorate the front. They were weaved ever so delicately that the inner beauty of each flower can be seen even as a passerby just happening to walk past the restaurant. The windows were curtained, but the door was wide open. On the ground was a blackboard with the name of the restaurant and the featured menu written in blue chalk.

Cordelia took a glance inside, and grimaced. It seems like she saw something that didn't agree with her. Azel wanted to look, but the girl gave him a stop signal. The girl bit her bottom lip.

Moving a few paces from the entrance, to make sure no one inside could see what she was doing, she gave the suitcase she was clutching to Azel.

"Take this, don't lose it. Meet me at Café Sonata in thirty minutes. Don't look suspicious. Don't TRY to look suspicious. If all goes wrong, protect this case with your life" the orders shot like a machine gun from the ever so elegant girl's mouth. She looked very composed, but felt like a totally different person. Azel nodded without thinking. The latter sounded ominous. Very ominous indeed.

The girl turned the opposite way, her Buizel doing the same action. She started walking in a controlled pace. A short while later, three shady characters exited from the restaurant and from the looks of it, they started following Cordelia. Azel was sort of glad they took no notice of him. But what should he do now? He looked at Mira, who seriously looked back at him. Azel nodded.

Looks like we're caught up in something more than meets the eye.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

2 : 44 PM, and the sun was still at it. Cordelia had told him to meet her at Café Sonata in 30 minutes. 5 minutes have passed, and Azel was bewildered. He had been sitting on a chair at the Central Plaza watching some dancers strut their stuff near the fountain. Mira found this to be interesting, and joined in on the fun. Their pokémon were dancing too. Pansage, Pansear and Panpour all moving along to the beat. The boy sighed as a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.

"Hiya there," Luna greeted. Azel nodded as she sat down next to him. Hanzo had joined the dance party and was now attracting quite a lot of attention. "I thought you were with Cordelia?" Luna said, a hint of curiosity to her voice.

Azel shrugged. "She said to meet her at Café Sonata. Plus, she told me to hold on to this" Azel explained, pointing to the medium-sized case on his side. Luna smiled, "She's a mysterious one, I tell you"

Since he had a bit of time, he had explained about Cordelia's attitude and the shady characters following her.

"Maybe I should have gone with you instead? Maybe I wouldn't get caught up in this mess..."

"Oh, I'm not sure. Fate ties everyone in the end"

"I wonder what would happen if I went with you instead..."

"Maybe you did go with me, but in some other dimension. There are parallel universes around us"

Azel had never understood parallel dimensions, or alternate universes. Not like he'd care anyway. When he looked at the fountain one more time, the number of people had decreased. Looks like the dances have stopped. Mira and Hanzo ran back to their trainers, each wearing a small necklace with a coin attached to the end. The two trainers looked at the dancers, and one of them gave a thumbs up in the air.

"These are Amulet Coins. Neat" Luna exclaimed.

Azel looked at Mira, who looked back at him endearingly. Azel nodded and petted her on the head. "Good show, Mira".

"Eevee! Eevee!" it answered happily.

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was almost time. "Sorry, Luna. I gotta go"

She looked down. "Sure"

Mira clambered onto his shoulder. Firmly holding the suitcase in his right hand, he started running. After a few seconds, he looked back and waved to Luna. She waved back weakly.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Narrow Street was littered with rubbish bins. Wild Trubbish could be seen rummaging inside the filth. Mira buried it's face inside Azel's gray hair. It couldn't stand the stench.

Azel found the easily distinguishable orange door leading into the café, and promptly opened the door.

The inside had a dismal atmosphere. The smell of wine hung from the air. The whole building was tainted in a sort of beautiful orange-red color. Cordelia was sitting alone, a secluded table on the right. He quickly walked over to her.

"Ooh—Heey... You're heere..." the girl moaned. Her face was red, and a half-full glass of alcoholic liquid in front of her. By the looks of it, she has got to be drunk. Azel sat across her and carefully placed the suitcase beside him. Mira greeted Richie, who in turn looked at his trainer. Looks like he was worried. Or amused?

"Come and drink with mee" she said absentmindedly. Azel took note of the drink in front of him. That was definitely booze. "Come oooooonnn" she continued moaning. Azel shook his head.

She grabbed the glass in front of her and drank it in one go. "Ahhh..." she said as she finished it, and slammed the glass to the table.

Azel looked around. There weren't many people around. In fact, only the bartender was present. The old man was drinking beer, the bartender polishing glasses. It felt strange.

"Listen... Azzie, give me the suitcase. Before the pol-hic come" she hiccuped in the middle of her sentence. "I'm out of the picture if they come and arr-hic me".

Mira tilted her head at Richie, who looked kind of irritated. Without signal, the Buizel jumped and slapped Cordelia twice in the face. That caused a bruise on her face, but she snapped out of her condition rather quickly after that. "A-ah... Was I drunk?" she said, her face still kind of red. Azel nodded. Richie smirked, and returned to his cool position. "D-did I say anything weird?"

"Buizel!" Richie snapped at Cordelia. The girl looked flustered. "O-oh... Uhh... I can explain " she couldn't come up with a good sentence. Azel looked at her acting innocently, but from her previous reaction, it seems like she's hiding something.

Suddenly, Buizel sensed movement outside. "Buizel!" it exclaimed, pointing to the door.

"Oh no, we need to get out of here" Cordelia stated. The girl stood up, looking for an escape route. Azel was in a state of shock, not knowing what was happening around him.

"There's a back door through this way, miss..." the bartender suggested. Cordelia snatched the suitcase from the boy's hands and made a run for it. Azel, having no other options at the moment, followed the girl to wherever fate will take them.

The door behind them opened, as Azel heard someone shout, "Interpol!"

His head was spinning in confusion. The sounds that came after were vague.

There was a door at the end, and they emerged to a deserted alleyway. Everyone stopped for their breaths. "What's going on?" Azel asked. Cordelia took a deep breath. "I'll tell you everything once we reach Undella. Now we'll need to split up again. Castelia Station, 15 minutes. Got that?"

Azel didn't say a word. His head was processing her orders. But Cordelia didn't need a reply, as she had already started moving with her Buizel, carrying the suitcase with her. Azel looked at Mira, who was on the ground, and carried her on his hands.

"Undella, huh? Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this"

Mira nodded, uncertain of what will happen next.

* * *

**Yes, her actions were very vague. But that deepens the mystery of the beautiful young lady. **

**The next stop will be Undella. Her secrets will be revealed in due time.**

**Please review.**


	3. Cordelia's Secret

**Hi, everyone. Cordelia's story is finally finished. I think I kind of rushed the ending, though. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is not mine.**

* * *

Castelia Station was a battlefield. Crowds of people crashing into each other in an attempt to reach their designated station quickly. Azel too, was in a rush. Where was Cordelia? He looked around, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Umm, hey" a voice came from behind. Azel turned around.

A tall, slim brunette with slightly dark skin stood there, looking confused. An Emolga was perched on her shoulder.

"Do you know the way to the Single Platform?" she asked sheepishly. The single platform was for Single Trains, he thought. Remembering the lessons he took back at school, single trains were painted with a viridian green. Looking around, there was one platform with the aforementioned colour.

"I think it's over there" Azel pointed at one of the platforms.

"Oh! Yeah, that's right. Thanks...err..."

"You can call me Azel"

"Really? Wow, thanks Azel" the girl exclaimed happily, and ran through the crowd, heading in the opposite direction of where Azel previously pointed.

Azel scratched his head. "Eevee..." Mira sighed.

"We still have to look for Cordelia. She didn't say exactly where we were going to meet"

The Eevee nodded, looking around for the girl. They were standing near the ticket counter, where many people had lined up. The queue was as bad as the one in front of the Casteliacone stand. Azel leaned to the wall with Mira on his head. His mind started wandering off through random thoughts. Then he thought of Cordelia.

Who was she? Why was she here? The questions filled up his head just until he couldn't take it anymore. "Argh..." Azel clutched his head, grabbing at his hair, Mira dodging just before he started. The Eevee landed safely in front of him and whined.

"Oh... Sorry, Mira" Azel apologized, and the Eevee smiled. Sighing, he returned to his leaning position.

Looking left, he noticed something in the distance. It was Cordelia, and she was expertly dodging the stampede of numerous people, while holding the suitcase. She seemed like she was experienced with traversing through crowds. Richie had used Agility and was quickly moving, so fast that it turned into a blur.

Azel stared at her until she passed the great wall of people. She then quickly ran to him, not even out of breath. "Why are you just standing there? The train to Undella leaves in ten minutes. Come on!"

Cordelia grabbed Azel's hand and clutched it as they walked to the platform. She seemed to be in a rush... She looked to be in a rush from the moment they reached that restaurant. Something's definitely up, Azel thought.

"The Super Multi Train will be leaving shortly. The destination will be Undella Town" an announcement sounded from the P.A speakers. The big yellow train was stopped at the platform next to them. Azel and Cordelia somehow managed to get on board right before the doors closed.

They sat across each other, not saying a word. Richie snuggled up beside Cordelia, while Mira clinged onto the Azel's gray hair. The train had departed, and was now moving at a gentle pace.

Azel looked at Cordelia. Her face complexion was something he had never seen before. She stared at the suitcase on her lap, deep in thought. It doesn't look like she's in the mood for talking. The girl opened a part of the lock, probably checking to see if the object inside was still safe or not.

The movements of the train caused a bit of vibration, and Cordelia accidentally dropped the bag. The other lock broke and the case flipped open. A strange, purple chunk of rock came flying out. Azel caught it with both his hands.

"W-what's this?" Azel said, the rock almost slipping from his hand. It was a pretty big piece, about the size of two fists joined together. The surface was smooth, like some sort of glass. "T-that's..." Cordelia started, but stopped as she noticed a number of people staring at them. There weren't many people around, but Cordelia didn't want to attract any more attention.

"Give it to me" she whispered. Azel handed the stone to the girl, still wondering what it is. Cordelia took the suitcase from the floor of the train. "Oh... One of the locks are broken" she sighed. She slipped the purple object inside, and locked the one that didn't break. The girl slumped backwards, her eyes facing the ceiling of the train. The people watching them had averted their gazes, and Cordelia looked relieved.

Azel rested his chin on his hand, looking at the windows. If it were a train, he'd enjoy looking at the passing scenery.

He started to wonder why he was with the girl again. From what he had learnt, he can safely assume that she had some connections to the police. Either she was a secret agent, or she was... Azel fell asleep thinking of the strangest of possibilities. When he came to, they had just arrived at their destination. "We have reached Bay Station" an announcement was heard. "Please do not leave your belongings unattended, and exit the vehicle carefully. Thank you for riding with us today"

Cordelia stood up and started walking towards the door, the suitcase hanging from her right hand. "Come on, Azel" she called.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

It was dusk when they arrived at Undella. The sun had almost disappeared over the ocean, leaving only darkness to roam the space. The smooth sound of the crashing waves gave the scenery a peaceful flavor. The station had been positioned in the middle of the town, and anyone coming out will witness the beautiful shores. Azel followed Cordelia, who completely ignored the scenery and took a sharp left.

She was definitely in a rush. Azel followed her for about ten minutes when she stopped and hid behind the bushes. "Quick, come here" she whispered. The boy and his Eevee took position beside her. From their viewpoint, they can see a big white villa, illuminated by the gentle light of the streetlamps. There was a fountain in the front yard, although it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. Azel looked at Cordelia, who was focusing on a different spot. He matched his viewpoint with hers and noticed some shady people in coats standing nearby.

Cordelia grimaced, and moved her lips close to Azel's ear. "Move to the back alley. Don't be noticed"

Azel flinched, slightly blushing, but quickly shrugged it off and started moving. Mira climbed onto his shoulder. Cordelia followed them after taking one last look at the people.

Azel looked like he wanted to ask a question, so Cordelia stopped walking.

"That was my villa. Or to be exact, my father's villa" she started. Azel nodded. Cordelia stopped to think for a while.

"Hey... Do you want to stay at a hotel for the night?" Cordelia asked out of the blue. Azel's face flushed red, surprised of her proposal. Mental images flashed through his head, but he tried to ignore them. The girl tilted her head. "What's wrong?" Azel shook his head.

"Um, nothing. But promise me something"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Tell me everything"

Cordelia flinched at the statement. She stared into Azel's eyes. They were serious. Maybe it's time... she thought.

"Okay" she agreed. "I'll tell you everything later"

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Undella Sands. The three-star hotel had a wonderful view to the beach, but other than that, the service was mediocre. Cordelia had asked for a room for one night. They were led to a normal sized room with simple furnishings. Cordelia gently placed the suitcase on a wooden table.

The room was cold, as the air conditioner was turned on. There was nothing special about the atmosphere. Azel just felt weird, being in a hotel room with a girl all by themselves. Cordelia, on the other hand, looked very composed. Mira and Richie jumped on to the bedding of the second bed, near the window. Mira went under the covers and growled pleasantly.

"Okay, you promised to tell me everything" Azel stated. Cordelia sighed. She walked slowly to the door and locked it. Azel flinched. She continued to sit down on the first bed, closer to the door. The boy sat next to her.

"Where should I begin?" she wondered sarcastically. Azel gulped. He was prepared for any kind of truth.

_"Let me start by reintroducing myself. My name is Cordelia Andews. I am the daughter of an international conglomerate, Smith Andrews. He runs a global company that has become one of the most known companies of the mining industry. But lately, my father had invested his time in more dark dealings, with illegal miners and whatnot. He had created an illegal mining service that searched for rare treasures and sell them to other people. This was, of course, found out by the International Police. My father was now an international criminal, and he was being chased by Interpol everywhere." _

_"One day, my father thought of an idea to save his own skin. He planted one of his men at a certain location, and sent a message to the Interpol that he had given up. The Interpol fell for the bait, and my father had a chance to run away. What he didn't anticipate was that the man he sent had betrayed him by giving information about the project he was doing."_

Cordelia stood up and took the half-broken suitcase. She sat back down next to Azel and opened it.

_"This is an Eviolite. It is a mystical chunk of rock that strengthens the defense capabilities of Pokémon still able to evolve. A normal piece would be as big as a tennis huge chunk of Eviolite was illegally mined by my father, and it played a big part in my father's project. The Interpol had found out about it, and my father ran away to a secluded place, leaving only this suitcase with his very own daughter."_

"But why was a random person carrying it?" Azel asked.

"That man was Interpol, I think. I wasn't careful enough and misplaced the suitcase somewhere. I was lucky Luna was there..." Cordelia answered.

_"Now the International Police are tracking me down, and I'll probably be captured in the end. I don't think that fate can change for me. But I'm glad. I'm glad there was someone I can talk to, someone that will listen to me."_

Azel felt like a tear was about to form in his eyes. Cordelia already had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mira looked at Richie, who tried to ignore her, to no avail. The Buizel sighed, and seemed to say an apology of sorts to the other pokémon.

"Azel... Thank you" she said, wiping her tears.

"But you haven't done anything wrong! And besides, you're not arrested yet" Azel tried to reassure her.

"They know we're here. I found a tracking device inside the case. That interpol agent must have planted it there"

Azel can't reply to that statement.

"I want to give you a present, as thanks. Plus, I don't want you getting involved in my arrest"

"So... What should I do?"

"My villa should be free once the Interpol arrest me. You act like a normal civillian and leave the building. In the villa, you should find a hallway to the left. Go into the second room from there and search the third drawer next to the bed. There should be something there"

Azel nodded. Even when she's emotional, she can direct orders like a master tactician.

"They should be here soon. We should go downstairs to make things easier"

Azel lowered his head. "Is there really no way to avoid this fate?" he asked, hoping for an answer.

Cordelia shook her head. There was nothing they could do. She took the suitcase and opened the locked door. Azel followed behind her, not saying a word. The pokémon followed them, with depressed faces.

As they went down the elevator, Cordelia turned to Azel. "Oh, one more thing..." she blushed. Azel turned back at her, and seeing her face made him blush too. "W-what is it?" he asked, stuttered.

A few seconds passed, and Cordelia turned her head away. "Nope, nevermind".

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The front lobby, as suspected, was filled with some international police agents. Cordelia motioned Azel to move slowly, to not attract any attention. The boy nodded, said one last goodbye, and moved casually through the crowd.

"Excuse me, boy. Haven't you seen a girl, about this tall, blue hair, no?" a strange interpol agent asked him a question. "Croagunk!" his Croagunk looked at Azel eerily. Azel shook his head, Mira doing the same action on his shoulder.

"Are you looking for me?" Cordelia popped out from nowhere. All the agents turned to her at the same time.

"Never you mind boy. Be on your way now..." the man had said.

Azel walked out of the door, looking back at the beautiful girl one last time, before walking down the street and disappearing into the moonlight.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

_Left hallway. Second room. Third drawer._

_Azel went back to her villa, making sure no one else was there. The door was open, probably due to the carelessness of the International Police. A table, quite grand was there right in front of him. He ignored that and followed the girl's directions._

_The room was dismal. A small light illuminating only a small portion of the room was there. Azel looked around and saw photos of Cordelia and her family. Her mother looked just like her, while her father looked like he had a sophisticated atmosphere. Azel looked at these memories one by one, feeling the pain that she had suffered all this time._

_Mira opened the drawer stated by Cordelia, and inside it was a Water Stone. Azel didn't have time to react as the Eevee touched it with her paw. Suddenly, a great white light flashed through the room, and Mira had changed forms. Now she was an elegant Vaporeon, her skin translucent in the moonlight. _

"_Vaporeon..." it said._

_Vaporeon, huh? Azel thought. The two looked at the moon, shining brightly in the night sky. Today has been the most hectic day ever. But I guess that's what you call experience..._

**FIN**

* * *

**Well, Cordelia's story has come to an end, but that doesn't mean the story is over yet. There remains six stories still untold. **

**Please review.  
**


	4. Stephanie's Dilemma

**The next arc will be Stephanie's story. Who is Stephanie, you ask? That will be explained in the story, of course. Have fun reading!**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine, but it'd be cool if it was.**

* * *

Cordelia grabbed Azel's hand and clutched it as they walked to the platform. She seemed to be in a rush... She looked to be in a rush from the moment they reached that restaurant. Something's definitely up, Azel thought.

"The Super Multi Train will be leaving shortly. The destination will be Undella Town" an announcement sounded from the P.A speakers. The two rushed to the train. Most of the people there had already entered the train. Unfortunately,they were slightly late, and the door of the train closed on them. "Oh...We're late..." Cordelia whined. There was a screech, as the train slowly set off. The now empty platform brandished itself in front of the two.

Suddenly, there was a change in the atmosphere. The pokémon felt an increase in the number of people in the area. Cordelia turned behind her, seeing a group of brown leather-coated people surrounding them.

"Ugh... They're here..." Cordelia groaned. There were about five men, not providing an escape route to benefit them. Most were middle aged men, and one of them approached the two, a Croagunk to his left. "You! Are under arrest, Cordelia Andrews" he declared with a strange accent. "Looker..." she said it, but Azel didn't understand. Was that the man's name? Richie jumped in front of her, spreading it's arms. "Buizel! Buizel!" it exclaimed.

"No... It's fine, Richie" Cordelia said. Richie cast a sad look, and lowered it's arms. Cordelia raised her hands in the air, and walked slowly towards the agents. "I'm giving myself up. I'm tired of this game of cat and mouse". Azel's whole body shivered at this statement.

"_Giving myself up?_" he thought. It looks as if Cordelia was more than meets the eye.

"Hmm, take the boy too" one of the agents ordered. "No, he's not anyone suspicious. Just let him go, please" Cordelia begged. One agent had utilized his Ralts' ability to sense lies. The little pokémon's horns glowed a slight red, and instantly faded again. "Ralts..." it spoke softly.

"She.. isn't lying, sir. That boy is not a threat to any of us" the officer returned to his position.

Azel looked left and right. Everything was happening so fast. Was there nothing he could do? He was a few paces behind Cordelia, so he couldn't see her facial expression. Given the situation, she would have a look that depicted submission to fate.

"Fine, we are letting go of the boy. Our main target is here" said one of the other men. The peculiar man with the Croagunk walked behind her, putting one of his hands on her shoulder. The Buizel growled at this gesture.

The girl gave one last glance at the gray-haired boy. She could only see him, standing there, unable to do anything. Turning her head away, a tear escaped her eye. Azel clearly saw this particular teardrop and felt like crying himself. Mira called out to Richie, but the pokémon didn't respond.

"Sorry, Richie. This is where we part ways" she said, her voice slightly trembling. The Buizel shook it's head and placed it's paw on it's chest. "The Buizel is showing it's loyalty to you. I suppose you cannot refuse his wishes?" Looker said, with a hint of sarcasm to his voice. "Is that fine with you, Richie?" Cordelia asked again. The Buizel nodded and stood next to her.

"Goodbye, Azel. Thank you for today. Even if we didn't do many things, I still enjoyed it" her voice spoke again. "So, shall we go, Cordelia Andrews?" the man said. The girl nodded slowly, walking as Richie the man followed her pace. Azel couldn't move. He couldn't even say anything. He just watched them climb up the stairs leading outside. After they were out of sight, Azel regained consciousness. Well, it wasn't that he had completely lost it, it just meant he wasn't a living statue anymore.

He was at a loss for words. As much as he wanted to do something, he couldn't. "Eevee..." Mira said with a descending tone. He looked around ; a million stares pointed straight at him. It didn't feel good. It felt like a bunch of spears piercing through his mind mentally. The boy left the platform, paying no attention to the inaudible whispers of other civilians. He walked aimlessly, sifting slowly through the crowds of Castelia Station. He was thinking of going back to the ice cream stand, but that wouldn't be much of an option. The queue should be worse than before.

Someone tapped his free shoulder lightly, but Azel ignored it. He kept on walking, when suddenly the weight on his head increased. "Eevee!" Mira yelled. "Emolga!" an Emolga pouted on top of Azel's head. "_An Emolga?"_ he thought and turned around. The brunette from before stood there, looking a bit disappointed. "Umm, hey Azel" she waved at him sheepishly.

"You're..." Azel tried to remember. He recalled a girl ask him for directions earlier. She also had an Emolga. But what was she doing here? The Single Train should have left a few minutes ago.

"Stephanie Willard" she smiled and tilted her head.

"Um, okay. So Stephanie"

"Steph is fine"

"Uh, so Steph, I thought you took the Single Train"

"Oh yeah, about that... It's a long story. Oh, I don't mean that it's really long or anything, but ..." she quickly said and stopped halfway. She looked flustered. Azel stared at her, hoping for her to finish the sentence. Stephanie felt a jolt from somewhere. "Umm... Long story short, I missed it."

Emolga, perched on her head, looked impatient. The pokémon tapped it's left foot rhythmically. The boy sighed. "_Looks like I met yet another weird person_" he thought. "The next train won't depart for a while. I have nothing else to do. Do you want to sit down somewhere?" Azel offered her.

"Oh, is that so? Oh no, I'm going to miss my first Pokémon Musical!"

Pokémon Musical. Azel remembered he had watched one not too long ago. It was an exhilarating experience. Pokémon and Trainers dancing on stage together, the memory had burned itself onto his mind.

"Pokémon Musical?" a deep voice came from nearby. The two turned and gazed up at a tall, lean mean wearing a dark coloured coat. It was Ingo, one of the Subway Bosses of the Unova region. "What are you doing here, sir?" Azel asked him.

Ingo smiled, but turned to Stephanie. "That is of no importance. I hear you are late for a Pokémon Musical? I myself love to see them. Would you like to take my private train to Nimbasa City?" he offered her, with a graceful bow.

"Wow, is that really ok?" Stephanie asked him back. Ingo nodded, and turned back to Azel. "Would you like to come with us to Nimbasa City?"

Azel looked at the tall man. Then looked at Mira. The little pokémon made a move that seemed to be some kind of shrug, and nodded. Well, it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. His parents were on some kind of business here in Unova, and he was dropped with a relative in Castelia City. But his "uncle", as he called him, always left early for work and came back late. So the house was empty most of the time. His aunt? He doesn't want to talk about it.

Azel nodded, and Stephanie seemed pleased. Ingo led them to a special platform under all the others. A special platform for the use of the staff. Inside was one silver, sleek train. It's metallic colors reflected the lights. The whole platform was empty except for the three of them.

"Shall we depart? I heard the musical will start soon" Ingo suggested. Stephanie nodded happily, while Azel just shrugged. Ingo ushered them inside the vehicle as he entered himself. The inside was pretty amazing. It was well-conditioned and very clean. Of course, not many people use this, Azel figured. Or maybe it was well taken care of.

"This train's course has been automatically set, so it doesn't need any controls" Ingo explained. As he said that, the doors closed and the train shifted a little. "Whoa" Stephanie nearly fell, but held on to a pole on the side, her Emolga not caring. Azel changed his footing and regained balance, Mira falling from his shoulder. Ingo was unfazed.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot you two weren't staff" Ingo chuckled. The train left the platform smoothly, and soon they were on their way.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nimbasa City. Gear Station was even more crowded than Castelia Station. "We have reached our destination" Ingo exclaimed.

As they walked out of the platform and into the main room of the station, the people around them started whispering things. Azel could hear some of them. Most were like, "Look, that's Ingo" and others were like, "That Eevee is cute". Stephanie's Emolga waved it's paws around as some people praised it. They were like celebrities. With Ingo in the lead, everyone made way.

"The musical should start in ten minutes. You should hurry" he said to Stephanie. The girl nodded and ran up the stairs to the outside without even saying a goodbye. The two watched her as she exited the building. Then, he turned to Azel. "And you, boy?" Azel shrugged.

Suddenly, Ingo's face turned serious."Can you watch that girl for me. Something isn't right. Her mental condition is unstable. She may look happy-go-lucky, without a care in the world, but even the slightest problem can break her. She is hiding that, and without a doubt looking for someone to ease her pain" the look in his eyes was very convincing.

At first, Azel didn't think about it. When he did, Azel was surprised, though he showed no signs of it. "_If what he's saying is true... How did Ingo know that? Did he have some kind of talent to read personalities or something?_"

"You are surprised? Thinking if I have a talent to read personalities, isn't that so?" Ingo recited what had come into Azel's mind a few moments ago. The boy gagged while the tall man chuckled. "You have a kind heart. You have recently endured a hardship, and now you are trying to leave it behind you. What would happen to you if another were to happen? If something happens..." Ingo stopped to think about his sentence.

"If something happens, you're the only one that can do something"

Azel thought about it for a while. Mira looked at him with a worried face, while Ingo stood there, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he looked at Ingo and nodded.

"If what you're saying is true, then... But what can I do?"

"It's too late to enter the Musical now. I suggest you wait for the results. If something does go wrong, you can do something about it" Ingo suggested, emphasizing on the 'does' part. "In the meantime, why not go to the Amusement Park. I'm sure you'll find something of interest there"

"_The Amusement Park?"_ Azel thought. If he trusted Ingo's words like the way he did, then that 'something of interest' part would actually mean something. And now that 'something of interest' piqued his curiosity. He bid farewell to Ingo, and climbed up the stairs.

"I wish you luck, boy" Ingo said, and then spoke under his breath. "To help solve her dilemma"

* * *

**Sorry for the long update. With school and stuff, it's kind of hard to keep up. Kind of rushed, again. What will happen next? Will Stephanie win the musical? Will Azel help her solve her hidden problems? What is this 'something of interest' Ingo spoke of? **

**Heh heh...**

**You'll see... You'll see...**


End file.
